Shot blasting for a wide range of applications

A range of different effects can be achieved using ceramic and glass beads. Spherical blasting media are a good way of achieving the perfect surface finish or decorative effects. They can also be used in shot peening – a process whereby the surface is strengthened by the ceramic beads.

Advantages of ceramic beads in surface blasting

Ceramic beads are most commonly used to improve the surface of parts made from stainless steel or aluminium. This is because they do not contain iron and thus do not run the risk of inducing corrosion on the workpieces being blasted. Due to the material’s strength and non-porous structure, ceramic beads are up to ten times more durable than glass beads. This contributes to longer service life and enables higher blasting speeds. In addition, much less dust is produced when blasting with ceramic beads. And coupled with the improved working and visibility conditions, this leads to reduced wear of the blasting system. The beads are also not electrically conductive and are manufactured from the non-metallic compound silica.

Potential applications of ceramic beads

Ceramic beads are suitable for numerous applications, one of which is deburring machined workpieces such as turned and milled parts. Without affecting tolerances, ceramic beads can be used to process and clean the inner surfaces of moulds used for metal die casting or metal injection moulding. Matt functional surfaces can be polished with these beads, and they can also be used to shot peen surfaces in order to remove stresses. Components blasted using ceramic media feature particularly low roughness and the highest levels of gloss. The surface hardening makes the components more rugged and durable. Although ceramic-bead blasting is used most commonly in mechanical engineering, it is also essential to the automotive and medical devices sectors. The blasting medium is available in various grain sizes and classes in 25 kilogram units.

To find out whether you can use ceramic beads for your blasting application, please get in touch. You can reach us by telephone at +49 (0) 7741 808 930 – we will be happy to answer all your questions on surface blasting. Alternatively, you can simply send us an e-mail at info(at)sigg-strahltechnik(dot)de.